Sat, Feb 12
TEDDY TODAY
Column by Karin Schuppdeutsch
The festival's inofficial motto is, according to Dieter Kosslick, "Football, Sex, and Politics" - doesn't that sound like a lesbian cinematic paradise? However, I've seen nothing of that kind so far: no football, no politics and no sex, let alone lesbian sex. At least there was some gay sex in my last film of the day, "THE DYING GAUL" by Craig Lucas.
It's a movie about a love triangle between a gay scriptwriter, a bisexual studio executive and his wife. Both men have already played gay - it's Peter Sarsgaard second gay role this year ( "KINSEY" is also shown at the Berlinale), and Campbell Scott played a leading role in the Aids-movie "Longtime Companion" which was also written and directed by Lucas - and Patricia Clarkson starred as a German lesbian heroin addict in "High Art".
Too bad that the actors weren't there, but Lucas did his best to curry favor with the audience: "I've never seen so many cute boys in one place before", he said in this welcoming speech (which was probably directed to the cute boys in the first place) - yet he has arrived in the afternoon only. I just hope that he won't meet that fat, ugly, badly smelling man who sat in the screening right next to me und shared his heartburn and his slimy cough with me. After last year's success with her living room-installation in the Arsenal's foyer, Meggie Schneider has set up a kitchen-installation this year. "4Kitchens" was launched with a relaxed performance by queer group "Cheap". Daniel Hendrickson, Marc Siegel, Susanne Sachsse (known from Bruce La Bruce's "The Raspberry Reich"), and Tim Blue went ahead with their 20 Step-program "Listen To Your Kitchen" in the midst of the audience - including Zazie de Paris who had made herself comfortable in the kitchen's furniture - from "Step 1: Set on your timer and put on your favorite song" over "Step 5: Put on some mascara" and "Step 16: Put out your cookies" to "Step 20: Put on your whipcream". I have to admit that I had to leave after "Step 6: Bring eggplant and bread to the table". Reason: I got hungry and had to find dinner.
On my way, I passed the red carpet where the premiere of "Asylum" was about to begin. I tried to catch a glimpse of Ian McKellen but he didn't show up although he'd been announced (or maybe I was just distracted by Natasha Richardson who donned an unbelievably flimsy dress which was on the one hand sexy and, on the other hand, evoked maternal feelings in me, like "Would you put something warm on, darling, you don't want to catch a cold, do you?")
The Teddy Jury's reception at Panorama Homebase mixed cheerfully with the reception of the turkish filmweek which was held in the back of the locality. The place was so crowded that there was almost no room left for the jury who arrived half an hour behind schedule. Among the guests: Zazie de Paris (again!), TV--actor Georg Uecker, and Panorama-boss Wieland Speck. The jury-members mostly stay at Myer's Hotel in Prenzlauer Berg which brought juror Doris from Amsterdam the idea to install cameras in the floors and rooms and to realise a "Big Brother"-like reality show: "Teddy-Jury - who with whom, when and how often".
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The response of her fellow members, Joao from Lissabon and Shane from Toronto, couldn't have been less enthusiastic. I don't know why - particularly Joao could offer some action: in his room will be a coming and going from tuesday when his boyfriend and his family including his mom will arrive in Berlin...
In town today:
Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Keanu Reeves
Today's Screenings
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